Monday, January 31, 2011

We had a beautiful Saturday here in Alabama and I'm happy to report that riding 175 miles in some brilliant sunshine and under beautiful skies can do wonders for your spirit. I can't wait for all you riding brothers and sisters in the north to feel it again yourselves. It's great!

My FB friends had a sneak peak at my photos yesterday, and KT commented on this picture and called it the Storybook Church. I kind of liked it, so... Thanks KT, for helping me come up with a great title for my Pic of the Week for today!

I have a lot more to say about this historic community, but I'll have to save it for a longer post. In the meantime, here's a couple of bonus pictures of what you may see on the way to Lowndesboro."I think that I shall never see... A poem lovely as a tree."

Saturday, January 29, 2011

first(adj.) being number one in a series; earliest in time; foremost in importance.

(... continued)

I wish I could tell you all that my dad was able to hook me up with an awesome ride and I was able to take my bully to task but, unfortunately, that was not the case. At that time, my sweet daddy worked very hard and sacrificed much just to provide a modest, yet comfortable living for his family of six. So, even though we were often told no, for some crazy reason... we never felt slighted. It's amazing what life can feel like when it's padded with love.

Fast forward about 30 years...

After graduating from High School, serving in the Navy and meeting my "first" (and only) husband, life has a way of ticking along whether you're meeting your goals or not. To spite the fact that we were living (although begrudgingly) within our means, we found ways to enjoy life and have fun, constantly assuring ourselves that we were doing so... happily ever after.

In the Fall of 2003, our near and dear friend offered us the chance to buy his '98 Harley Davidson Electra Glide Classic at a very reasonable price, as he was planning to buy a new one for himself. My hubby always said, if he were to ever get a motorcycle again, it would be a Harley Davidson. Unlike myself, he had the fortunate opportunity to have owned several different makes and models of motorcycles while he was growing up and before we married. He claims, "I've owned everything else in the past, and I've always said my next bike will be a Harley." It didn't take long to make a decision on how nice it would be to have a motorcycle in the garage, and knowing our friend like we do, we were procuring a bike in nearly perfect condition.

Fortunately, we were in a position to be able to take advantage of our friends generous offer and purchase our "first" Harley Davidson. It was the beginning of a whole new adventure... for both of us!Now, I've been a passenger on a motorcycle a thousand times before, but this was the "first" time with my husband. Taking in the sun and wind and seeing the road from our new perspective put a giddiness in my heart and opened a flood gates of memories for me. I couldn't believe we didn't do this sooner!Our "first" road trip was to the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee. It was absolutely amazing at how much fun we had riding the twisties, and even though we had some rainy weather during that trip... it didn't dampen our spirits one iota!It was during the summer of our 25th Anniversary when we attended our "first" rally and boy, what an eye opening experience that was! I remember the "family style" rallies that I went to as a child and back then... I didn't remember my mom ever doing this!

As we walked around and took it all in we came across a very interesting couple who must have been so in love, that they attached themselves to one another with a leather dog leash, which was hanging from the girls neck from a studded choke collar. Hubby and I looked at each other in surprise and said... "Wow! We need to get us one of those!" The only problem was... we couldn't decide which one would get to hold the leash and which one had to wear the collar! LOL!My next "first" is one I'm sure the ladies can relate to. You see, there was that "first" time I tried to mount my hubby's bike when he wasn't ready for me. Yes sir... you'll only do that once!! I realized then, it's just as important to be a responsible passenger as it is being a responsible rider. After all... it can make or break your fun!!

Over the next couple of years we really embraced the rekindled love and experiences that motorcycle ownership gave us. We also started to realize that this new addition to our household has allowed us to participate and enjoy life on a whole new level. Sharing this love and passion with others in the way of road trips, day rides, and a couple of good ol' raunchy rallies now and then, was like wearing a "life is good" t-shirt... everyday.It wasn't long, however, before I was feeling a bit restless as I had a growing desire for more. I needed to feed my insatiable appetite for exhilaration and to feel my own sense of freedom I kept hearing others boast about so openly. It was like my dormant road spirit was coming awake and leading me down the path of truth.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Last week I posted a picture of Tallulah Gorge and it's water fall, which raised a comment or two about a small swimming hole that looked very inviting. There was even some mention of skinny dipping so... for this week's pic, I decided to post another popular water spot that I'm sure has seen it's share of T and A... especially during the summer.

DESOTO FALLS SWIMMIN' HOLEBack in July, while playing around the Ft. Payne area in north Alabama, we rode through DeSoto State Park and the Little River Canyon. We just happened to be at the DeSoto Falls while these dudes were swimming across the waterhole to the cave under the falls. If it weren't for the small hike necessary to reach it, I might have considered joining them. It was summertime after all and the temps were scorching around 100, give or take a degree or two.

I could certainly do a little dippin' in this pretty spot and I keep telling Harley that one day, we are going to do just that. I've visited these falls at least 4 times now, so I need to quit talking and start hikin'!

I guess these girls weren't to inclined to join the fellas. Harley kept watching to see if the one standing was going to slip and fall. At least that was his story... and he stuck to it.

I have some more great pictures of the DeSoto Falls, but I'll save them for another post. Have a great Monday everybody!!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

first(adj.) being number one in a series; earliest in time; foremost in importance.

It is my humble opinion, that as a whole, we usually remember and appreciate our "first" experiences in a fond way. First kiss... first true love... first "time" (if you don't know what that means, just quit reading now and go back to bed!) And of course, the reason for this post... first bike.

I was all ready to start writing about my first bike, (thinking of my Suzuki 800 Intruder) when I had a creeping thought that grew louder in volume... "that was not your first!" I just smiled to myself and realized, if I'm going to start at the beginning... then I need to start at the beginning!

When I was about 9 or 10 years old, my dad procured for me a small mini bike. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of it, so with my memory in charge, I searched the internet trying to find something that looks like what I had. This is the closest I could come up with. It's called a Lil' Indian with a Briggs and Stratton motor.

This looks almost identical and even though it's the same color blue, mine looked really used... kind of crusty.It started with a pull cord, like a lawn mower and sounded about as strong. I remember not having to do anything with my feet, but as a one speed automatic, my right hand worked the throttle, and my left hand worked the brakes.

It didn't have much power (lawn mower engines don't ya know!) but that wouldn't stop me from thinking I was the Queen of the playground riding around on my "cool" minibike. Our house was right across the alley next to this big park. Burden Park was my backyard for years.

One day, this boy who was younger than me but bigger in size, didn't like the fact that I thought my sh*t didn't stink while I putted around the grounds showing off my "riding skills". He stepped in front of me one time and challenged me to a standoff. He glared at me and said ... "that's a piece of crap! I can hold on to it with my bare hands!" Well, not liking his attitude and thinking I was going to show him a thing or two, I started inching my mini bike forward and told him he better get out of my way before I run him down!He stood firm and grabbed my handlebars and held me still. At first I thought I was going to hurt him so I gave it just a little bit of gas. Nothing happened. I gave it some more gas, and still nothing happened. I rolled that throttle back as far as it would go and that little creep was able to hold me still while my poor little bike kept whining and spitting grass up from the rear tire. Geesh! I was so humiliated! When my dad came home from work that day, I cried on his shoulder and told him he needed to get me a bigger, stronger mini bike so I could run over that boy! He just laughed and said... "why don't you tell that boy to bring his mini bike to the playground for a race?" When I related to my dad that the bully didn't have one, he reminded me how fortunate I was to have what I had. For some reason, I don't remember being bothered by that kid after that.

Over the next couple years, I had a great time riding my crusty blue mini bike, taking it to the woods, riding on trails, and playing around the dirt tracks on the weekends we would go to family motorcycle events. We would often go camping with friends of my mom and dad's who shared a love for motorcycles and motorcycle racing, always going to sites that had creeks for swimming and trails for riding. They had two daughters who were my age and one year younger and a younger son. The two girls had mini bikes too, but because their dad was a racer and a mechanic, they were a few levels above me on the type of bike they were riding. Theirs looked something like this.

As you can see by comparison, I was again lacking and would wish I had a bigger more powerful mini bike. I would get bogged down in the sand, stall on small hills, get a sore arm from having to pull the fricking cord a thousand times, not to mention... I could never keep up! I used to beg my dad for a big dirt bike and he would just tell me to get a job and I could buy one. Geesh... (I was only 12 years old at this point!) That was just my dad's way of letting me know it wasn't in the cards and even all those years ago... I truly appreciated his humor.

Monday, January 17, 2011

A few years ago, Harley and I spent some time riding around the north Georgia area and enjoyed some great scenery and some wonderful roads. We stopped at the Tallulah Gorge State Park , one of the most spectacular canyons in the Eastern United States and endured just a small amount of hiking to get to the overlooks that allow you to enjoy the gorge and falls.

TALLULAH GORGETALLULAH FALLSThis particular trip was the first one we took after I moved up from my 800 Suzuki Intruder to the Electra Glide. I remember, I was more focused about the riding than I was taking in the scenery. I think I'm ready to revisit that area and enjoy it without the piggybacked apprehension that plagued me the first time.

Monday, January 10, 2011

We are experiencing some awfully cold days here in the south (some of us are even getting a bit of snow and ice!) and it's making it a little difficult to get out and enjoy the miles. I'm sad to say that I did no riding this weekend and I'm beginning to feel like crack addict jonsin' for the next hit.

I was reading about Jay (Road Captain USA) and Diana's visit to the Barber Vintage Motor Sports Museum during their holiday time off, and all it did was give me the itch to ride back up there and walk around this giant collection of superb machinery. Be sure and check out their post, but in the meantime, I thought I would share my own slide show as today's Pic Of The Week. Some of you may have seen this before, but I think it's worthy of a "re-run".

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Thanks everybody for helping me "Name that Bike". It's the general consensus from everyone who commented that the bike in my old photos is an early model Honda. Allen from Harley In The City and Eve from Sunny Side Up both provided a link with a picture of a 60's model Honda CL77 Scrambler. In comparison... I believe we have our answer.

The first bike almost looks identical to it and I know for a fact it wasn't new when he bought it. He never bought anything (mechanical) new in his life. He always taught us to... "let the other guy take the loss of buying new"... for him, buying used cars and bikes was the only way to go.

My dad eventually quit riding, but he never quit appreciating the fine quality of a nice bike. Recognize this black beauty he's sitting on here?

I give thanks that my dad was the kind of man he was. Not perfect, but worthy... of everything good that came his way, because he had to work so hard to get it. I'm proud of the fact that I take after him in many ways, both good and bad, but that's just the way it works!

Thanks for playing "Name that bike" and now it's time for me to go ride mine!!

Friday, January 7, 2011

I don't claim to know a lot about motorcycle history, I just know I like riding them. My first experience with this was riding on the back of one with my dad when I was just a young girl and it seems like I've been around motorcycles my whole life. At the time, I grew up thinking that a motorcycle was just another mode of transportation and my friends thought it was very cool that my dad didn't seem to mind it when my high school boyfriend would pick me up for dates... on a motorcycle. Knowing what I know now about riding, I'm sure his patience and fear worn thin at times and it just makes me appreciate him even more... for the freedoms and experiences he allowed us to have while growing up. (Thanks dad!)

I feel very fortunate to have a couple old pictures of one of my dad's bikes (one of which I have posted on my side bar) but, when Baron from Baron's Life asked me what kind of bike that was, I couldn't answer him.

My brothers were too young to remember, and I was just a girl who paid attention only to the fact that it goes fast and was fun! So I'm posing this question to my readers who are more astute at two wheeled history. I hope there is enough clarity in these photos for someone to help me figure out what bike we are on.Looking forward to any info you can share with me. Have a nice day!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Today's Pics of the Week come from my pal the Roadrunner, one of my biker pals who makes a living driving an 18 wheeler all across our United States. While we've all been lolly gagging around, enjoying our holiday time off, he's been keeping the roads hot delivering chickens (I think) and taking in some amazing scenery... like this!

WINTER WONDERLANDHe's been up around Washington state for the last couple days and took some of these beautiful wintry pictures from somewhere on Hwy. 97. I know it looks cold and all, but I can see myself riding around those bends... anticipating each new scenic prize... one right after the other... curve after beautiful curve... ahhhhhh...

Meanwhile, back here in the south, we had a nice and quiet New Year's Eve. Thunderstorms and tornadoes kept us from riding Saturday, but other than that... it's time to tackle the new year! I guess we'll just start here.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Now that the hustle and bustle of Christmas is behind me and my house has been righted back to it's pre-holiday decorum, I took a moment to reflect on the gifts I received from loved ones this year. Thanks to both our parents who graciously lined our presents with that "one size fits all" item, you know, that one item that's always the perfect fit and is most definitely the perfect color! We were both able to get a couple of winter jackets that we so desperately needed... and then some. Thanks folks!

In addition to that, we got a beautiful graduation picture of my niece, a cast iron dutch oven to help my grub taste better, a nice H-D head warmer for the chilly days, and various other treasures to behold. But, there is one special gift that holds rank high above all the others as the most unusual, and probably will be the most used gift of all. It was presented to us by Harley's sister, and now in retrospect... it only seems fitting for a little sister to give such a well thought out gift to her big brother. Are you ready for this... ???

POO-POURRIYes! You read it right... Poo-Pourri! Now I realize that most of us, are not really going to give a shit if our shit stinks, and, after a nice long day of riding, we're not always the "purtiest" smelling folks out there. But we still may want to avoid drawing attention to ourselves after we've camped out in the shitter... as the dude, (or dudette) that just stunk up the only pisser in the place!

This will keep you out of the "dog house"! As the bottle says... "Spritz the bowl before you go, and no one else will ever know!"

That's right dudes... you can spray your toilet water, before you take your dump, and the stink won't rise! You can walk out of the water closet with your grimy heads held high as the "'dirty ol' biker' who's shit don't stink!" And the ladies will never be exposed again as... "that chick with the nasty ass!"

So there you have it. To avoid those embarrassing moments when others think that something has crawled up inside you and died... get some Poo-Pourri! And you won't be a turd!